Daddy’s Billionaire Boss: Older Man, Younger Woman Instalove Short Romance Read online

  And the fact that he definitely had at least two of the five points on my supposed dream man list? I’d be crazy not to check him out.

  Check it out.

  “Sure,” I said brightly, trying not to blush from my scattered thoughts. “I can always try it for a few months, right? I bet I’d learn a lot.”

  “You definitely would. And if it’s not for you, it would be a great jumping off point for other jobs.” His thumbs tapped across the phone. “I’ve given Mason your number, so that he can contact you directly.”

  A shudder ran up my spine. “Okay.”

  Dad’s eyebrows furrowed. “Also, I feel that I should mention this. There’s a promotion coming up in my department next week, and it comes with a bonus. I’d love to get that bonus, and...” He glanced over his shoulder, but Mom was laughing merrily to someone on the phone. “...take your Mother on a trip to England like she’s always wanted.”

  I smiled. My parents loved to travel, but could usually only afford to run away for weekends, wherever they could drive. “Yeah, you’ve mentioned wanting a second honeymoon.”

  “If you’re Mason’s intern, it would put me closer on his radar, at least a bit.” Dad looked at me carefully. “Is that selfish of me?”

  “Not at all! This could be great for both of us.”

  “Good. Thanks, Em.”

  As soon as dad went back to his office, I went upstairs to my bedroom, staring at my purple phone until it buzzed. “Hello?”

  “Hello, Emily. This is Mason McHenry.” His low voice directly in my ear was unusually sensual.

  Nerves prickled through me, and I had no idea what to say. “Hi.”

  “Will you start tomorrow as my intern?”

  I was almost disappointed that he got right to the point. I just wanted to keep him talking. “Sure. What would I be doing?”

  “Assisting me,” he said smoothly. “Some research, and…well...”

  I was shocked that he paused so awkwardly. He’d seemed so polished in this afternoon’s meeting.

  Mason cleared his throat. “I require some assistance with my presentation format. Your help will be invaluable.”

  “Sure. Sounds like fun.”

  There was a tiny noise that may have been a chuckle, or a cough. “Fun? You think that working for me will be fun?”

  “I think there’s fun in everything, if you let yourself find it,” I said quickly, hoping I didn’t sound like an idiot.

  There was a long pause. “You are a fascinating young woman, Emily,” he said softly. “I’ll see you in my office at eight forty-five tomorrow.”

  “Alright.”

  “Sweet dreams, Emily,” he said gently, before ending the call.

  The way he said my name made me tremble.

  Stretching out in my bed, with Mason’s dark voice ringing in my ears, my thighs clenched. My nipples felt tight, and my stomach fluttered in circles.

  Everything about Mason was arousing, from his appearance to his voice to his commanding nature. There was no way I would be able to hold myself together and be professional if I were in a room with him for an entire day.

  But there was no way I could embarrass myself at Dad’s work, so I’d have to find a way. Besides, I absolutely had to find out if he was really the one Aunt Betsy claimed was my one true love.

  4

  _____

  Mason

  Thursday morning I sat at my desk, inhaling the deep aromas of a new Ethiopian blend. My coffee expert brought me freshly-roasted beans from around the world each week, trying to keep my palate on its toes.

  Taking a slow sip, I reveled in the complex richness, while flipping through the details of my new intern’s online life that Timothy had dug up for me. I had never used my researchers for anything personal before, but it was crucial for me to find a connection to Emily immediately. Timothy’s detailed work helped me formulate a plan.

  Offering Emily a job as an intern was simple. Now I had to think up something for her to actually do. To be honest, this precious little angel could simply sit in my office all day long, and I’d pay her whatever she liked.

  Even I realized that sounded extremely creepy, so I dug into the notes.

  It was difficult to ignore the extraneous details of her love of mystery books, her fondness for animal-themed jewelry, and her love of something called “retro synth pop”. Listening to a few samples, I had to admit it was impossible not to nod along.

  Staring at her photos, I had to adjust myself beneath the desk. My palms were actually sweating for the first time ever. Forcing the blood back to my brain, I focused.

  Emily Jameson was twenty years old, and had recently graduated from two years of studying the humanities. Language, philosophy, geography, and history. Hopefully that meant she was a well-rounded individual.

  Since she did some fact-checking and research for an urban psychology podcast, she was likely somewhat knowledgeable about all of that touchy-feely crap I was supposed to pay attention to.

  Here was an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

  Damn, that sounded cold, even for me.

  I’d already been at my desk for an hour, now sipping an Americano made from a beautiful dark roast Colombian bean, when Emily appeared at my doorway.

  I was in front of her and clasping her hand in mine before I even realized I’d stood up.

  “Emily,” I said gently, leading her to my long, black leather sofa. It was starting to become well worn, as I spent the night here occasionally when I worked so late it wasn’t worth the bother of going home.

  She was a vision, in a bright blue dress that lit up her eyes. Her lovely hair was held back in a silver clip shaped like a sparrow.

  “Thank you for coming,” I said. The words felt awkward, and I realized I was smiling widely again.

  Normally I would jump right into the work to be done, but I couldn’t treat her like a mere coworker. Emily was so much more. The overwhelming urge to care for her forced me to think of logistics. What might she need?

  “Have you had breakfast yet?”

  “No,” she shook her head, causing her hair to wave gently around her pale, delicate throat.

  “What is your favorite kind of coffee?”

  Those big eyes blinked in surprise, then she smiled. “Are you always so focused?”

  “Yes.” I didn’t feel the need to elaborate.

  She certainly didn’t need to know that my focus was often so extreme that I lost track of time, needing both office and personal assistants to make sure that my basic needs were supervised.

  “I guess I like most coffee that isn’t too strong,” she said shyly.

  I pressed a button on my desk. “Sandra.”

  In seconds, my assistant leaned in the door. “Yes, sir?”

  “Prepare the Ugandan light roast as a flat-white with a touch of raw sugar, and a lemon poppyseed muffin for Emily. I’ll take the Guatemalan dark roast as a double shot.”

  “Certainly, sir.”

  Emily’s eyes were fixed on mine. “You send her off to the coffee shop just like that? What if she’s busy?”

  A deep rumbling sound filled my office for the first time I could remember, as I laughed loudly. Emily laughed with me, although she clearly didn’t understand.

  “Sandra is here to assist me,” I finally managed to explain. “We don’t waste time with coffee shops. Every possible machine is in the break room. Sandra and several other staff members have trained with a barista so they can prepare whatever I need.”

  “Can you pull an espresso shot yourself?” she asked, arching an eyebrow over a faint wash of peach eyeshadow. When in my life had I noticed a woman’s makeup?

  “No, I’ve never thought about it,” I confessed.

  Her bubbling laugh sent spikes of lust straight through my hips. God, what it would feel like to rip off her cute dress and take hold of that soft skin. To feel her move under me as I kissed those rosy lips...

  “You’re clearly into coffee.
Aren’t you curious?” Her head cocked to the side as she seemed to analyze me. “I think you should learn. It would be good for you.”

  Staff who had been with me for years were afraid to tell me that a meeting had been moved. This girl was telling me, very saucily at that, that I should do something for myself and get my hands dirty.

  This wasn’t an extremely late school boy crush. I was falling for this angel. Hard.

  “Perhaps someday,” I said.

  Forcing myself to get back to the task at hand, I wondered how to explain my predicament. “You’ve studied some psychology, yes?”

  “A little.”

  “Have you ever come across studies that explain what makes some people likable, and others not?”

  Emily turned to face me a bit more, her knee nearly brushing mine. As she opened those perfect lips to speak, Sandra rushed in with a tray, setting it in front of us.

  “Close the door.”

  The second the door clicked shut, Emily smacked me on the shoulder. “You forgot to say please and thank you.”

  My cock lurched to attention in my pants, as heat coursed through my veins. I loved that she wasn’t afraid of me. The lust circling deep in my core loved it far too much.

  Her eyes flared as she gasped. “Oh my god, Mr. McHenry, I’m so sorry, I–”

  I grabbed her hand, holding it between us. “That’s perfect, actually. You’re precisely what I need, Emily. Someone to tell me when I’m being an asshole, and how to fix it.”

  Again with that adorable head tilt. “Didn’t your parents teach you basic manners?”

  “They died when I was fifteen. I finished university at nineteen. Took over this company at twenty-four. Nobody dares correct me.” My thumb grazed gently over her palm. “Except you. You’re going to fix me, Emily.”

  “I’m so sorry,” she said softly. “I didn’t mean to be rude.”

  “You were honest,” I said, inadvertently leaning closer. “You can’t understand how refreshing that is for me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Emily was shifting toward me as well. My gaze flickered between her beautiful eyes and perfect lips.

  “Apparently I’m cold,” I said, as my tongue ran over my bottom lip. “But somehow around you... I feel that you’re going to help me warm back up to the world.”

  With a start I realized that there was a chance anyone could walk by the glass window and see us sitting far too close together, with her hand in mine.

  Leaning back, I released her hand but didn’t drop my smile. I nodded at her cup. “Try your coffee.”

  Her nose crinkled as she glared at me adorably. “Try again.”

  She clearly had no idea how devastatingly hot I found her sauciness. “Please, Emily,” I said slowly, “If it’s not too much trouble, I’d appreciate it if you tried your coffee.”

  She positively grinned, then lifted her cup. I tried mine as well, which was perfect. As always.

  “Wow,” she murmured, “This is great.” She took another sip, then tossed her hair over her shoulder, looking at me so sweetly it was physically difficult not to pull her into my arms. “How did you know exactly what I like?”

  “Lucky guess,” I muttered, standing up rather uncomfortably.

  Walking over to my desk, I picked up the phone. “Sandra,” I paused, glancing to Emily, “Could you please ask Richard to bring me a new laptop? Top of the line. Thank you.”

  To her credit, Sandra managed to keep most of the surprise from her voice. “Of course, sir.”

  Turning, Emily’s smile made my own lips bend up to a level that was very strange for me. I would have thought that all of this senseless smiling would feel unnatural. But any time Emily was in the room, it just happened.

  It almost felt...good.

  “See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

  “You’re right,” I said, returning to the sofa. “A laptop for you is on its way. I’m going to need you to research everything you can on likability. Start with real psychology and well-established sources, then move into pop psych mumbo-jumbo if necessary.”

  Emily’s sweet face grew wary. “What sort of project are you working on that needs to increase its likability?”

  “I’ll require you to keep this completely confidential.” I slid her a folder with the standard non-disclosure agreement, which she skimmed quickly and signed.

  “Of course. Absolutely.”

  I knew it was completely unprofessional to pick up her hand again, but I couldn’t help it. I needed the connection between us.

  “Emily, I take meetings and phone calls with dozens of people each week, and apparently I am beginning to lose business because people see me as cold and unapproachable.”

  Good grief, she was so adorable when her nose crinkled like that. My hands twitched with the need to cup her face and kiss that little nose.

  “You’re not so bad,” she grinned. “You just need to loosen up.”

  Another thought formed in the back of my mind. “I’m glad you think so. On top of your research, I’ll require you to coach me personally.”

  “Coach?”

  “Yes. Apparently I am supposed to appear more personable.” It was difficult not to roll my eyes. “And warm.”

  Her fingers squeezed mine, then she released my hand to trail her fingertips along my neck tie. “You could start with some color,” she said. “I’ve read a bit about color theory, and symbolism. I’ll look into that again.”

  There was a cautious tap at the door. “Come in.”

  Emily’s hand jerked back as Richard entered the room. He set the new laptop, charger cable, and accessories on the coffee table in front of us. “Will there be anything else, sir?”

  “No, that’s all. Thank you very much, Richard.”

  His eyes widened, then he nodded and disappeared, shutting the door behind him quickly.

  “So that’s going to be my job?” Emily asked. “Making you more likable for your clients?”

  “Precisely.”

  She clapped her hands in front of her, causing her perky round breasts to bounce wildly right before my eyes. Sweet Jesus, if she only knew what she did to me. Was I going to be able to control myself enough to work with her?

  “I swear I’ll do a good job, Mason,” she said softly. “I’ve been told I get a little rambunctious, but when it comes to facts, psychology research and human connections, I know I can do a great job for you.”

  The alarm on my phone sounded. “I’m sorry, I have to pop into a meeting,” I said, finishing my coffee.

  “Am I supposed to work here?” she asked, looking around the space.

  “Yes,” I said, desperately trying to think of a good excuse. I did not want the women in this office to tell her I was ruthless and sterile. More importantly, I didn’t want the men to get cozy with her.

  “Because this project is so personal and confidential, I would appreciate it if you could do your work in here. Is that all right?”

  “Absolutely.”

  It was a great relief that she seemed pleased that we would be in such close quarters. Well, at least in the same room. The couch and coffee table was a good fifteen feet away from my actual desk. Later on, I’d get her set up with her own desk, if she preferred that.

  “Have a good meeting,” she said brightly, settling onto the couch and opening her new laptop.

  Grabbing my phone and a folder from my desk, I paused at the door. “Text me if you need anything at all,” I said.

  Emily nodded, while tucking her hair behind her ears. “Sure. Thanks so much for this job, Mason.”

  Almost everyone in the building referred to me as Mr. McHenry. Hearing my first name on her lips was strangely intimate. Which instantly caused me to think about all of the intimate things we’d enjoy together as soon as she knew me better.

  “Have a good morning, Emily.” I rushed out to the hallway, closing the door behind me.

  I vowed to make this the shortest managers’ meeting ever,
so that I could get back to my new private coach and intern. From the way she stared at me to the way our first tentative touches had felt so perfect, I was certain that she’d let me take her out tonight.

  Yes, it was completely inappropriate for the big scary boss to ask his intern out to dinner. But I honestly felt like I might lose my mind if I didn’t get closer to Emily right away.